Vita Audio are an award winning company who specialize in digital radios of the highest standard. The R2, which comes in Walnut or Ivory White, is the follow up to Vita’s hugely successful R1 which many hailed for its sleek design and crystal clear sound.

The R2 is a compact stereo system of just 34cm in width with a sturdy feel as it weighs in at a substantial 3kg. Of the two colours available I prefer the Walnut as I feel it adds that extra bit of style over the more modern looking White finish.

There are optional 3D Wide Stereo Sound and EQ settings but if you’re anything like me you’ll want to turn on 3D and set the EQ to high and you’ll be ready to get the most out of this system. The R2 comes with standard features such as Stereo DAB, FM Radio, and RDS which provides you with information on what you’re listening to and, depending on the station, even news headlines. On the rear there are gold plated phono outputs for recording and inputs for attaching a device such as a CD or MP3 player.

I made use of the phono inputs by connecting my Xbox 360 which made a huge difference to the sound quality while playing games. The speakers on my TV are adequate but they simply can’t compete with the incredible bass the R2 is capable of producing. As you can imagine this was particularly impressive when playing games which have a cinematic soundtrack.

The only downside I can think of is that it doesn’t offer the number of inputs as some of the more expensive units on the market. The option of playing MP3 files from a memory card would have been a fantastic addition but even without this the R2 stands out amongst the competitors in its price range.

I highly recommend the R2 to those who don’t have the luxury of a top of the range surround sound set-up and hate the idea of missing out on the very best audio which their music, films, and videogames have to offer. The saying is true in this instance, you get what you pay for, and the Vita audio R2 is a fantastic DAB Digital radio which is worth every penny of its £220-£250 suggested retail price.

9/10

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